It seems that you're using an outdated browser. Some things may not work as they should (or don't work at all).
We suggest you upgrade newer and better browser like: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Opera

×
Yeah, I meant "Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone". I don't really mind linearity as I think some modern RPGs are a bit too open world sometimes, to the point where I occasionally get lost and forget what my main quest was.

Planescape I had been contemplating because I DO place a lot of emphasis on storyline in RPGs, and the thought of there being a lot of stuff to see and read/do sounded interesting.

About Neverwinter Nights.. I don't do Multiplayer so if that's the big thing with that, maybe I should avoid it. Unless, as Runehamster said, the user-made campaigns are really engaging. I don't have a lot of experience with fangames outside of the odd Romhack.

That's largely why I started up this discussion, cause I'm interesting yet hesitant because I'm unfamiliar with a lot of this but have been wanting to try these kinds of games out.
avatar
HiroshiMishima: Yeah, I meant "Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone". I don't really mind linearity as I think some modern RPGs are a bit too open world sometimes, to the point where I occasionally get lost and forget what my main quest was.
What I mean by linearity in the case of Demon Stone is: Run along a corridor without looking left or right, kill everything in your way, watch cutscene, enter the next corridor. And by corridor I don't mean dungeons. Even outside you can't stray off the path. Maybe I should have said "railroaded" instead of linear. Icewind Dale is linear, in Demon Stone you are railroaded. ;)


avatar
HiroshiMishima: Planescape I had been contemplating because I DO place a lot of emphasis on storyline in RPGs, and the thought of there being a lot of stuff to see and read/do sounded interesting.
I can heartily recommend it to you then. :)


avatar
HiroshiMishima: About Neverwinter Nights.. I don't do Multiplayer so if that's the big thing with that, maybe I should avoid it. Unless, as Runehamster said, the user-made campaigns are really engaging. I don't have a lot of experience with fangames outside of the odd Romhack.
Oh, no, don't get me wrong, you can have lots of fun with it if you stick to single player. Like I said it might be a good choice for beginners and Runehamster is spot on about the user-made campaigns. I can recommend the "Prophet" series if you like good stories. Just be aware that installing user-made modules requires handling zipped archives and unzipping files to specific folders in the Windows Explorer. It's not really complicated and difficult at all and as I said you can always find people to help you (you can even PM me if you have any questions), but some might be discouraged by it nevertheless.
Post edited February 26, 2012 by Leroux
Demon Stone is literally a 3rd person hack n slash game. You can switch between one of the 3 charaters at any given time to acomplish something but other than that its just a button masher. It is really disconnected from the RPG side of things, I was actually playing it with my Gamepad a few days back to give you an idea.

You dont have to go multiplayer on Neverwinter Nights to get enjoyment out of it, I personally enjoyed the main campaign and locations, also enjoyed both expansions. Saying multiplayer is the way to go with NWN is a bit silly really, there is so much offline content available. There are thousands of decent player made campaigns on it which are really easy to install, most of them you just unpack into the expansion / mods directory in your install and then you select start new campaign and it is listed, then just hit import character and it brings in your character if you have one created already. The main campaign is actually pretty good, not forgetting you also get Hordes of the Underdark and Shadows of Unrentide expansions with it which are both decent campaigns.

Planescape is excellent, more storytelling than anything else, one heck of a lot of text to get through though. Depends on how much you actually like reading high fantasy, this makes the pacing a bit slower but it does really draw you into the universe from the moment you wake up on the slab.
Post edited February 26, 2012 by iainmet
avatar
iainmet: Saying multiplayer is the way to go with NWN is a bit silly really
Agreed. That's not what I meant to imply, sorry if it came across that way. :)
avatar
iainmet: Saying multiplayer is the way to go with NWN is a bit silly really
avatar
Leroux: Agreed. That's not what I meant to imply, sorry if it came across that way. :)
Its cool :) I read it as dont bother with it if you dont like multiplayer! Had to say that as Neverwinter Nights is one of my all time favourite games. First time I played it I couldnt put it down, if I couldnt sleep on a night I was getting up at stupid o'clock in the morning to play it before the kids got up for school etc!! Its that addictive!

I would say it is the easiest game to actually get into out of the D&D games here, doesnt feel like there is a lot of stat rolling going on in the background. Its doesnt punish you to much either if you make a mistake. The game flows really well and the learning curve is a lot more gentle than BG and IWD,
I recommend Planescape Torment & Neverwinter Nights. The former has the unique setting & story which people rave about... & the latter has some enjoyable campaigns and is only centred around your 1 main character so it can be a gentler introduction to D&D.... it's also got the most gameplay for your money with 3 lengthy storylines and then another 3 more standalones in kingmaker.

Also Temple of Elemental Evil is pretty hardcore but probably the most accurate implementation of the most popular D&D ruleset so if you want a real taste of D&D then you'll get that there. It is monstorously difficult though if you're not familiar with D&D & you'll want to check out the fan patch (which you can find under it's forum section on here.)

Baldur's Gate (the first one) isn't all that & both that and the 2nd (which has a better story but still inferior to Planescape Torment) are quite difficult unless you really get into planning out your characters, grind a bit etc. I definately wouldn't recommend those OR the Icewind Dale games if you're looking to take your first step into D&D.

If you enjoy them then I'd recommend your next step down the line is Icewind Dale 2 as that has the fun strategy element of planning your characters etc and feels more like D&D than the others so it'll feel familiar but fresh. It also uses the same ruleset as Neverwinter Nights so you'll have some prior experience with it.
Then you can delve into the Baldur's Gate games which will be difficult but prepare you for the first Icewind Dale if you decide you want to play them all.

Edit: Forgot to say... when you're making character it's best to avoid Multi-Class & if you play Neverwinter Nights I wouldn't play as a magic orientated class (such as wizard) on your first playthrough. Druid is an exception as they can be very powerful.
Post edited February 26, 2012 by serpantino
avatar
Leroux: What I mean by linearity in the case of Demon Stone is: Run along a corridor without looking left or right, kill everything in your way, watch cutscene, enter the next corridor. And by corridor I don't mean dungeons. Even outside you can't stray off the path. Maybe I should have said "railroaded" instead of linear. Icewind Dale is linear, in Demon Stone you are railroaded. ;)
Ah, yes, I see what you mean. I was actually interested cause the idea of switching between three characters reminded me of Castlevania 3. Okay. Hmm.. yeah, I thinking no to FR: DS then, cause I have plenty of games that fit that kinda gameplay description and not all of them are very good. :p

Between what you and Iainmet have said (and taking into account what everyone else has said), I think I'll go with Baldur's Gate, Planescape, Neverwinter Nights and Icewind Dale.

I don't have a problem with installing the user-made campaigns and will definitely look up "Prophet".

Thank you everyone for your input, I think these will be some very enjoyable games. Neverwinter Nights and Planescape will be the BUY ones, and Baldur's Gate & IWD will be the FREE ones. If I'm not as happy with those I'll have the knowledge I didn't actually pay for them, and if I do enjoy them, it'll encourage me to buy the sequels later on.

It's a tough decision to say who influenced my choice most, so I'll say Serpantino, Leroux AND Iainmet all provided input that finally cemented the deal for me, but everyone else helped, too. :D
Post edited February 26, 2012 by HiroshiMishima
avatar
iainmet: Yeah, trick with the BG series is patience and take it slowly, try not to venture to far out until you have levelled a bit, its quite tactical in that way. Its literally a case of complete an objective and then go turn it in. Invest the time and as you become more powerful and can start making decent headway into the adventure. If you try and play it like Diablo then you can and will get killed quickly.
Actually I found the opposite. Trying to remain within the boundaries of the game's story and keeping to the core area is likely to get you killed. If you try to get to Khalid and Jaheira with just you and Imoen at the start of the game as the game suggests you should, you will almost invariably get pounded by the mage patrolling the door of the Friendly Inn. If you wander north though and pick up that paladin whose name escapes me, you'll find it a lot easier. And the Nashkel mines are a heck of a lot easier than much of the game that precedes it.
Hope you enjoy the games. I didn't mention Demon Stone or Dragonshard as they're both average games that relied on their D&D connection to sell. There's better alternatives for both games on GOG.